Chloe’s New Friend

We went to the beach yesterday. Had a super fun day on the boardwalk, going on rides and trying to win prizes.

Our first winner was Sophie, who won a cute little pink pig of which she was very proud. Chloe was not so happy at that point – she would have accepted the defeat if Sophie had simply benefited from a bit of beginner’s luck, but because Sophie benefited from Papa’s steady hand at the water pistol contest, she was a little upset that she didn’t get the same assistance.
Before we knew it, Chloe and Papa had disappeared into the arcade. Sophie and I were conversing outside when we realized that it was taking them a really long time to come back out. So we went to find them, and as it turns out, we couldn’t miss them! Chloe had just won her very own cow, which is almost as big as she is.
Needless to say, Chloe went from tears to elation in about a minute. And Sophie, went from elation to tears in about 30 seconds because her cute little pig suddenly wasn’t so cute anymore. What to do? The only thing we could do. Let Sophie try to win a big cow of her own. That, however, did not work. So we let Sophie play balloon darts. And she won! A cute little pink bear to keep the cute little pink pig company. And all was right in the world.

Chariots of Fire

See Sophie run. See Sophie run extremely fast. We took a walk around the block yesterday evening as part of my turning-over-a-new-leaf project to spend less time tethered to my computer after I get home from work.

The walk is probably about 3/4 – 1 mile long. And when I say that Sophie essentially ran the entire distance without stopping, I am not exaggerating in the way I am sometimes prone to do when describing my girls’ talents.
She ran and ran and ran. Hardly paused to take a breath. Outran her sister, who at one point collapsed on the ground from the effort of trying to keep up. Could it be that we have a track star in the making? I noticed that Sophie has quite good form when she runs. Not to mention stamina. She runs like Forrest Gump.
*****
By the way, it’s now been two days since my self-imposed mandatory post-work, pre-bedtime computer breaks. So far, so good.

Growing Up

It’s a very rare occasion that I get to see my two beautiful girls wearing dresses on the same day. The reason for that is simple. Chloe only wears dresses (and skirts, for that matter) under extreme duress.

However, she wore the dress in this photo quite willingly last night; she had, after all, been the one to find it at the store. And if you look at it closely enough, you’ll see that it’s a “French” dress, which was an extra plus in its favor.
Sophie’s dress, on the other hand, is notable for another reason. Anyone who knows Sophie knows that she LOVES to wear dresses. However, she’s generally extremely reluctant to wear anything that doesn’t have at least a hint of pink (the name of my blog strikes me as more “be careful what you wish for” with every passing day) on it. And yet, she wore this dress with pleasure last night. And the only nod to pink was the little pink purse she had in her hands.
I will end today’s entry with a quote from Sophie, who asked that I write, “I love Mommy because she’s my best mother ever!” To which I respond, “I love Sophie because she’s my best Sophie Bear ever!”

“Gavotte”

Chloe had her piano recital this evening. She had butterflies. Lots of butterflies. The recital took place in a church in 90 degree weather with no A/C and no fans (too loud). It was hot. And I was sweaty and everyone around me was sweaty and smelly. We were treated to about 25 performances, of varying complexity and quality. Chloe performed a piece called “Gavotte” and she did great. A year of lessons climaxing in 20 seconds of pounding on the keys.

Silly Bandz

I cannot believe that this is the latest kid craze. Really. Chloe just spent $12 of her hard-earned lemonade money (her perogative, I suppose) at the local toy store on two packs of rubber bands. Granted, rubber bands in shapes, including lava lamps and peace signs. But $6 a pack?

All I kept thinking was, “Shit. Why can’t I come up with a scam like that?” There’s something slightly Dickens-like (Fagin immediately comes to mind) about creating a product that costs nothing to produce and tantalizes innocent children into wasting serious dollars. Not to mention the parents and grandparents (yes, you, Mom) who are willing to open their wallets to buy such crap for their dear little ones.
Do I sound envious? Well, I am. A simple idea transformed into a gold mine. I’m smart, I’m educated, I’m fairly creative…but I don’t know if I’m willing to exploit kids in order to make a buck. Hmm. On second thought…

It’s Freakin’ June!

I have no idea where the year has gone. I just went to the dentist and made an appointment for my next 6-month checkup…on December 14! Jeesh.

I have lost all concept of time. School is out in a couple of weeks and yet it seems like just a few weeks ago that we were shoveling snow out of our driveway. I was photocopying camp forms today and still have to complete a few more. I’m quickly running out of time to turn them in.
For the first time in several years, Memorial Day weekend was hot and sunny. Hot and sunny, and humid like August. But I shall not be fooled. It may have been 90 degrees outside; however, the pool water was still only 60 degrees. And no – I shall not project myself two months into the future. I promise to live in the present. At least for the next hour or so.

A Mom's Ramblings About the Marvels & Mishaps of Parenting, the Joys of Family Travel & the Writing Life